Job Discussion Forums

[Tiger Beer]

What are some of the better respected to Japan?

Birmingham strikes me as #1.

Some of the Australia ones seem to have lower standards. Are there some that are just generally not-respected and some that always are respected from Australia?

How about New Zealand? The same or different?

Mostly just trying to find out reputation, etc. for Distance MA programs and their perception from potential employers.

[Vince]

When I was in Tokyo, I didn't hear much about which school's TESOL or applied linguistics MA was most prestigious or "best." For most EFL teachers, it was more about finding a solid school in a major Western country with an entirely online program that was affordable and wouldn't disrupt their work situation. Many preferred a program in their home country. For me, Shenandoah U and Indiana State U looked like good choices.

I eventually decided that I didn't want to go with an online degree. It seemed to me that getting a degree I'd have to constantly defend was a "two steps forward one step back" proposition. I believe that a well designed online degree can be of real value, but there will always be people, including hiring officials and colleagues, who look down on it. To each his own, but I didn't want to go that route.

You'll hear a lot about Columbia and Temple. Not bad options, but very expensive.

[chinagirl]

I agree with the previous poster. I left Japan to get a master's degree at home in person and later returned to Tokyo with my brick and mortar master's. I'm glad I did. I know that is not an option for everyone. That said, the Birmingham people I have met here seem to be studying rigorously, but there is a stigma to distance education, and you will have to defend an online degree for the rest of your career. Maybe that's a choice you are willing to make, but I am glad that I took a year off and went back to school full time.